Buffalo mozzarella gets its name because in order to make it, it uses the milk from a domestic water buffalo rather than a cow to give it its distinctly taste and texture. Buffalo mozzarella has a protected geographical status, which means that buffalo mozzarella made in the region of Campania bears the "Mozzarella di Bufala Campana" trademark. It is also a DOC (denomination of origin control) and has PDO status, which is just high protection of the product in relation to its origins from Campania.
The following are major steps in the production of buffalo mozzarella:
1. Milk stored in big steel containers is ideal.
2. Milk is heated to a liquid then poured into a cream separator.
3. Curdling of the milk by induction of natural whey.
4. Curd maturation by reducing the acidification processes and reach a pH value of 4.95 in tubs
5. The "spinning" of the curd occurs by pouring hot water onto the curd in order to soften it then pulling or stretching it out called "pasta filata"
6. Shaping of the curd into balls (can be done by hand or with machines)
7. Cooling by immersion in cold water
8. Pickle the mozzarella by immersing them in containers with the original whey
9. Packaging in special films cut as bags or in small, plastic basins.
As you can see, there are many steps to create the tasty buffalo mozzarella that we consume today. The farm that I visited in Cilento, which is located in the region of Campania actually does most of this by machine except for the pulling and stretching of the cheese and formation into balls, which is done by hand with 2 men working over one tub of curd at a time. It was really interesting to see it being done and also very interesting to see a functioning farm working on making fresh mozzarella.
Due to the water buffaloes producing richer milk from low grade vegetation, the buffalo mozzarella tends to be higher in protein, fat, and minerals than cheese produced from cow's milk. This can have advantages as well as disadvantages. It has a higher amount of protein, however, that doesn't mean you should eat of a lot of this type of cheese due to the higher fat content, which can outweigh the advantages of the protein in the cheese product. A good amount of buffalo mozzarella such as on a pizza or just 2 small balls at a meal can be enough to supply the needed protein as well as not overdo the amount of fat that you would consume if you ate more.
This was what I found hard to do in the region of Campania when I visited because buffalo mozzarella is everywhere. At one dinner, I had a huge ball of buffalo mozzarella as an appetizer, then pasta, then pizza (with what I assumed was mozzarella on it). Another meal that weekend, I had more cheese and pizza, which led to me becoming a little tired of having buffalo mozzarella all the time. However, the buffalo mozzarella I ate in Campania was probably the best tasting buffalo mozzarella, I will ever consume. It had so much richness and flavor and the texture was perfect for anything that you would eat. If you ever go to the region of Campania, the most popular city in this region is Naples, I highly suggest going somewhere and getting something with buffalo mozzarella in it or on it. Whether it's pizza, pasta, or just by itself with either tomatoes for caprese or bread to just eat with it, the buffalo mozzarella cheese in Campania is literally the best cheese I could ever consume in my lifetime.
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